"Arctic Blast"

Yeah... so it's "cold" here in LA.  I'm not gonna lie, this is the coldest I have been since I moved here, but I'm not about to break out my parka and my gloves.  And it's extremely comical to see how everyone here is reacting:

 

Again, I'm not going to pretend I'm warm, but I certainly know how to handle a night where the temps drop to the 30s. I think that weather is one of the cultural phenomena here that is most interesting to me.  Any deviation for the standard 70 degrees is thought to be "so hot" or "so cold."  What is really funny is that I have never been able to feel the difference in a few degrees as much as I have since I have lived here.  70 and 75 degrees feel different to me out here. Anywhere else, the difference would be pretty moot. But out here, you get used to the relative lack of weather, seasons, and significant temperature changes.  A deviation from the norm can be a huge difference. In the Midwest  Colorado, almost everywhere else I've lived, deviation is the norm.

Though I can admit to feeling chilly in our mild temperature drop, one thing I'm not going to do is act like this is the end of the world. Yes, the temperatures are annoying and, quite frankly, my house is not insulated for weather like this. But, it is a little refreshing to snuggle up with a few extra blankets and feel the brisk air on my skin.  Also, the "cold snap" is a good reminder of how wonderful the weather is here most of the time. When things are too perfect, sometimes it's hard to appreciate it. In Chicago, everyone in the city was outside on the nice days, taking advantage of weather and enjoying it. Here, perfection is the expectation, and nice day can easily be brushed off as another is soon to follow. I hope if anything, our "freezing temps" can serve to remind LA residents how good they have it.  In the meantime, I am going to continue to laugh at everyone that dresses the way I would dress when the temperatures drop into the 'teens.  It is really unnecessary, and the day I "get soft" and ask for a parka in this weather is the day I need to move.  For sure.

Fa La LA-LA Land

Last night, as I drove home from work and up the Lincoln exit ramp off the 10, I noticed a a panhandler, which is pretty typical.  What was atypical was the sign he was holding. It was small and said simply, "Love."  It made me smile and almost give him a dollar.  Almost. I learned in St. Louis that you don't open your car to people on the street... anyway... the point I am actually trying to make is that his sign felt like a perfect way to sum up the holiday season that has just come to a close.

I've officially been in LA for over a year and it's crazy to think about how far I have come in that time. A year ago, I was lamenting the warm, snowless December and trying to navigate my new life.  This year, I was fully embracing the holiday spirit in my new home:

I found a more appropriate place to hang my stocking

I upgraded my tree from last year

And I even added a touch of Mistletoe

 I also embraced typical winter activities with a LA twist, like ice skating in 60 degree weather:

I tried (and kinda failed at...) some new holiday baking ideas:

It was too hard to frost his face...

And I enjoyed a winter bike ride that could only take place in LA:


Manhattan Beach Pier with Christmas Lights

Mental gymnastics.

I've been struggling with yoga lately. It's definitely my preferred workout of choice, but I'm just not getting out of it what I used to.  I was initially so drawn to yoga because I felt like it did a lot for both my mental and physical health, but recently, going to yoga has seemed like more of an obligation and has felt more stressful to me than relaxing. Probably because I have been so crazy busy this fall... but despite that, I have been trying to sprinkle in some other ways to maintain both my mental and physical health. Here is a look at how I have been trying to keep a balance over the last few months and find time to enjoy the fall (which apparently means random 90 degree days in November here...).

MENTAL HEALTH: Pumpkin Mac and Cheese
As we speak, I am sitting on the couch drinking a glass of wine. And I skipped yoga today. It was rainy, chilly, and I was in a bad mood. The traffic getting to yoga and parking would have been terrible and I wanted nothing more than to feel cozy and cook some comfort food. Shocking I know, that cooking and eating mac and cheese relaxes me. But I needed it tonight. There is just something about dancing around your kitchen, listening to music, and making-up an ingenious culinary creation.  That's right, totally made this up and I am super proud of it.  (The recipe is at the bottom of the blog post for those who are interested.) Then of course, putting on fuzzy socks and eating a bowl of the stuff is pretty divine too.

PHYSICAL HEALTH: Heroes of Hope 5K
As many of you probably know from Facebook, I ran a 5k last Sunday with some girls from my sorority Alumni group to benefit brain tumor research. It was a great day to run on the beach, a bit warm, but really beautiful. This was actually quite a big accomplishment for me. Since breaking my ankle 4 years ago and getting hardware to repair it, I have really struggled to run like I used to. I have had a lot of problems with leg pain and sciatica and have been really frustrated and annoyed with myself and my body.  It was really great to balance running with yoga to train for this and I really focused on not pushing myself too hard, too fast (my main problem post-new ankle). I'm proud to say that I ran the entire 5k in 29:16. My goal was to run it in 30 minutes, so I was spot on. The best part is that I feel great and more pain free than I have felt after running in a really long time.  And all of my wonder friends and family almost doubled my fundraising goal for the race. THANK YOU to everyone that donated.  It means so much to me and of course to those who will benefit from the research that is being funded at all the major hospitals in the LA area.

This adolescent bear is quite proud of me.

LA and I make amends...

So, after getting in a bit of a fight with Los Angeles, I spent sometime getting back to one of the things that made me excited about this city in the first place, nature. Being active and outside has always been somewhat of a reset button for me and a reset was definitely necessary these past few weeks.  I've been traveling a lot lately and I haven't had much time to relax. Any time that I have had in LA has been short and spent trying to cram in friends and events.  Without time to recharge, it's easy to get frustrated. Fortunately, between all of my trips and traveling, I was able to spend some time with nature.

A few weeks ago, my friend Carrie invited me to join a girl she knows from college and her friends to go hiking in Malibu. I've been hiking in Malibu many times, but I had never heard of these so called "moon pools" that we were going to see.  After a bit of a slow start, we made our way up PCH and up into Malibu Creek State Park.

Aside from being an absolutely gorgeous place to spend the day, the park has also been used to film many movies and tv shows, as part of it used to be owned by 20th Century Fox. One of the most well known things to be filmed in the park is the tv show M*A*S*H, and you can actually do a hike to the filming site.

M*A*S*H Site hike from Feb 2012

Dear LA Cab Drivers:

First of all, and with all due respect, SUCK IT! $10 minimum on a credit card? Forgive me for not tipping, but sorry I'm not sorry. The duration of my ride was less than a mile ($4.25 on the meter), get over yourselves. I know this crap flies here because "everyone drives" but frankly, I am sick of paying the financial punishment for being responsible or trying to find a safe way home (aka: not with a drive with someone who has been drinking or not walking alone). Here is a tip, EVOLVE!  New York and Chicago both have standardized cabs with regulated fares and credit card machines stationed in the back of every cab. Hell, St. Louis is more accessible and accommodating when it comes to cabs!  News flash: there is no minimum credit card payment in the actual cities of America, they allow you to pay for your actual fare with a credit card like civilized human beings. LA gets away with murder here because they can. I personally, cannot believe that that people here don't realize how disadvantaged they are with the entire transportation system. Seriously. Second biggest city in the country? Step up. I am continuously penalized for choosing to NOT drive my car. I choose to drive to LAX because it is cheaper and more cost effective than taking a shuttle or cab. I ALWAYS took the train in Chicago because was cheaper and more cost effective for me, not to mention better for the environment and at some points, a time saver.  Health conscious?  Environmentally friendly?  Seriously?!?!  Get over yourself LA. You have the worst public transportation of any city I have ever been in. Right now, I'm calling poser. So many people here have good intentions and noble, organic ideas of how to live life, but there is an underlying current of money and corruption that dominates. I'm sick of it. I have pretty much caved to a lifestyle that involves not leaving Santa Monica to try and not be exploited and I still loose. People of LA- demand more.  This is crap. Your services her are overpriced and under-functional. It is not ok. I even hesitate to call LA a city. I have for a while. This is a sprawling metropolis of bullshit. Talking it up doesn't make the shortcomings disappear. And tolerating it perpetuates the problem. Believe me, I want to love LA, but these "nuances" are making it difficult...

and stupid and elitist...